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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · arm · pit · shower · cap · toast · charge · kid

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. shower — rain
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — to wash
  8. kid — child
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kid — to tease
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cap — a lid
  17. toast — bread
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cap — a hat
  20. charge — in control
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com